Wound dressings that are adhered to human skin by pressure-sensitive adhesive have been known for many years. Such dressings are generally in the form of a web of an appropriate size for the wound and bear a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer intended to adhere the dressing to skin adjacent to the wound to secure the dressing in place over the wound. The webs are made of various materials such as film, foam, fabric, and combinations of these materials. The pressure-sensitive adhesive layer may be continuous or discontinuous and may be configured to adhere to the skin surrounding the wound or to portions of skin surrounding the wound. In many dressings, the adhesive layer is substantially coextensive with the dressing and thus extends over the wound itself. In such dressings, the adhesives are intended to adhere to healthy skin outside the wound and to not adhere to the wound itself due to its inherent moisture. It is also known to provide a coating adjacent to the wound prior to application of a pressure-sensitive adhesive dressing. Such commercially available compositions of this type include a film-forming polymer such as a methacrylate and a major amount of an organic solvent such as isopropyl alcohol or hexamethyl disiloxane. When dried, the film provides a coating to which the pressure-sensitive adhesive dressing is applied. Some of these commercially available compositions provide coatings to which the dressing are tenaciously adhered while others provide coatings from which dressings are easily removed. However, both of these commercially available compositions contain major quantities of volatile organic components such as isopropyl alcohol and hexamethyl disiloxane.
It is also known to provide coatings to human skin for various purposes such as wound protection, wound healing, medicament delivery, skin treatment, sun protection and the like. U.S. Pat. No. 4,942,029 relates to a medicated composition applied to the skin to form an antimicrobial barrier, the composition including a film-forming acrylic copolymer and isopropyl alcohol solvent. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,987,893 and 5,103,812 relate to non-stinging, non-irritating liquid coating compositions for forming films which act as conformable bandages adhering to and protecting nails, skin and mucous membrane wounds. The compositions are made up of a siloxane containing polymer and a solvent system containing volatile organic siloxanes. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,928,556 and 3,932,602 relate to a non-stinging wound dressing compositions made up of a film forming acrylate polymer dissolved in a solvent system of stinging and non-stinging volatile organic solvents.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of applying a pressure-sensitive adhesive dressing to a wound by first preparing the skin adjacent to the wound by applying a liquid, water-based, non-stinging skin treatment composition which dries to form an adherent polymeric film on the skin, and thereafter applying a pressure-sensitive dressing to the wound to cause the dressing to adhere to the polymeric film.
It is still a further object to provide such a method in which the liquid non-stinging water-based skin treatment composition dries rapidly, preferably in less than 90 seconds, more preferably in less than a minute, and still more preferably in less than 45 seconds, to form a comfortable and adherent protective coating which does not cause binding of the skin and which is easily removed by washing with water.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a liquid, non-stinging water-based skin treatment composition which is useful for the method of the invention and for other purposes.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an applicator for applying such liquid, non-stinging, water-based skin treatment composition to the skin.